The Red Island
Geography The Red Island is predominantly ruled by the rains and wind of the ocean. It is mostly jungle, and full of rushing rivers and great monsoons. It is said that it always has to be raining somewhere on the island. The Southeastern River Basin The eastern side of the island is a jungle based around the river. It is lush and verdant, but mostly flat. It tends to be more dense closer to the rivers, and the flora grows so fast here that towns usually leave a half mile between them and the river. The fauna here tends to grow well above average size, and massive lizards and dinosaurs are known to frequent this area. The Northern Coast The northern coast of the island is a hot savanna full of dense grassland and scattered trees. Life here is difficult for any beings not used to the heat, generally all the inhabitants are fire genasi who can live through the temperature. There are known to be enclaves of Yuan-ti who live in small caves beneath the grassland. Ziwa Msingi Ziwa Msingi is the only inland lake in the islands. It is flanked by two powerful cities in the island, and it provides clean water for many people throughout all the islands. In addition, it is the epicenter of the elemental power of the Red Island. It is supernaturally reflective and calm, and it never seems to change in water level. Boats can travel across the lake, but the lake never yields any fish itself. The lake also seems to draw in powerful elemental creatures from across all the planes of existence. Siri Zamani The western region is made up of salt flats and recently dried up seabed. Ancient skeletons of ocean creatures scatter through the badlands. This region is known as the Siri Zamani in the local dialect. It means "old mystery," as this region has been dry since before Turoon. It uncharacteristically almost never rains here, and as such this land is seen as cursed and unusable. Locations The Sisters of Ziwa Msingi Ziwa Msingi is flanked by two port cities on either side. These two sisters are the cities of Zellules and Cachisag. Zellules Zellules is the trade capital of the Red Island. It is cosmopolitan, expansive, and sparsely populated. The survivors of Turoon's Rebellion in this city are huddled together in tight, in-city villages. It mainly exports whatever can be raided from the old shops and warehouses from before Turoon. Cachisag Cachisag is the royal capital of the island. The Court of Four rule from the palace "Koo la Ufalme." The palace is known in common as the Throat of the Empire. It is a massive green-domed building that houses the entire government. Aside from the government, the city is a place of much historical exploration. An old library, dubbed "Dimbwi la Maarifa (Pool of Knowledge)," contains much magical and historical knowledge to be found. The problem is, the entire place has fallen apart, and the books form what looks like a bottomless pool. However, it is rumored that one who knows the incantation can bend the books to their will and create great structures of paper and bindings. Kish Kish is known as the great catacombs of the island. The village of Kish is clustered around the old ruins of what used to be a labyrinthine catacombs. The townspeople of Kish make most of their livings off of selling to adventurers who choose to enter the catacombs. As such, the catacombs are known as a "destination" adventuring spot to those seeking to challenge them. Larfatu Larfatu is a tiny town on the southern edge of the northern savanna. It is the first and only base of the genasi led, anti imperial cult known as "Wale Ambao Mwisho (Those who end)." They worship entirely outside of the imperial system, and see life as a plague. They believe that if they control all the life, they could end it all and free the world of its burdens. The Jungle Towns In the eastern river bed, there lie many small villages. They all share a few common characteristics: they all used to be Firbolg exclusive, they are being overtaken by the rapidly multiplying humans and the noble genasi, and they are all centers of natural magic that are being disturbed by the new inhabitants. Urtunada Urtunada is considered to be the heart of the natural magic of the forest. The old, minority Firbolg population are known as crotchety old tribalists who limit the progression of the empire. They are the last defenders of the forest, and they are rapidly going extinct. Powerful firbolgs are consistently known to "run away to the forest." The powerful, ancient firbolg, Hunter Thoughtseeker, lives in this village, and is the only thing standing between the firbolgs and human domination. He actively works to discourage colonists, and is considered a messiah-hero to the firbolgs. Asweyhat Asweyhat is similar to Urtunada, but much earlier in the process of colonization. It is the base of operations for the remaining Firbolgs. Zekalzu Zekalzu is another one of these battlegrounds of civilization. It is near to the southern coast, and popular among water-divining firbolgs. Cachigal Cachigal is a strange city that has recently been recolonized. It used to be controlled by some sort of strange creatures that preferred to live high in the canopy. Their architecture is not understood, but the town has been repopulated regardless. Tarran Tarran is a small town in the savanna of the north. It was settled by a party of imperial wood elves as a statement of imperial strength and renewal. Since then, the village has been a pit of resource investment. Originally, it was intended as the grand metropolis of the islands, but it now sits as a small community that was once worth millions of gold to the elves. Kualat Kualat is a port city, and it is the second biggest city on the island. It serves as the most developed trade port for foreign trade on the island. Its inhabitants are generally genasi, or upper class humans. The port is known for drawing in many exotic goods to please the upper class inhabitants. Government and Society Government on the Red Island manages to be both simple and infinitely complicated. It takes the form of a kingdom in which the ruler is four genasi, one of each element. Structure Every genasi in the islands is a noble, meaning they can own property and are afforded societal status. A human or other creature that disrespects a genasi of any kind is seen as a traitor to the kingdom. However, the ranking of genasi within the noblity is very important. Here are the rankings of society, as seen by the highest ranking genasi: * Serfs. Any non genasi race is locked here, which is most of the people on the island. Not allowed to own property and are technically property of a genasi lord. Their conditions can range from good to brutal depending on the noble. * Landless nobles. The poorest genasi houses are only nobles by name, and are as poor as any serf. Genasi of this type tend to operate either in service to another house, in a conglomerate of poorer houses, or outside of the law entirely. * Petty nobles. These are the most common type of genasi. These houses own very little land and potentially no serfs. Their wealth is either slow to come in, or earned by previous, more fortunate generations. They tend to own a single manor for the family, far out in the unpopulated country. * Landed nobles. These genasi are the standard elite class. They tend to rule over a town or large stretch of rural land. They are decidedly powerful in the island, and earning their disapproval is a dangerous choice. * Royals. Members of this class are the direct members of the four royal families. They are the genasi who have been born into the family to rule the other families. They often are unlanded, but their status and wealth is enough to put them above the others. Members of this class are divided by their proximity to the four rulers of the island, with the more direct relatives being of a higher class. * High Royals. The four rulers of the island, each of their own elemental power, are the most important and powerful people in the island. They have the final say on any dispute, and offending them guarantees death. The Court of Four The Red Island is ruled and represented by four genasi, one of each element. They are seen as the true representation of their element, and therefore one fourth of all of creation. The original four were selected by Turoon, and given, according to Red Island scripture, one fourth of his elemental power. Their families were also blessed by Turoon. Selection When one of the four dies, all the surviving members of the four royal families gather in Cachisag with the body of the dead council member. They then "harvest" the soul from the body through the reading and performance of sacred rites. Then the soul is harvested in a red lantern, and floated out onto the lake in a hand-sized wooden boat. The firstborn or closest relative(s) of the deceased then compete and sometimes fight to be the first to find the lantern and bring it back to Cachisag. The one who does bring back the lantern is crowned as a new member of the court of four. Duties The Court of Four are both ceremonial and functional. They perform many royal duties such as holding feasts during holidays, maintaining peace in the island, and representing the island diplomatically. They also operate as the final call on any judicial matters, and have the power to overrule any existing laws of the island. They can also set new precedents for laws and punishments, but the will of the court is notoriously wild and hard to predict. Unanimous Consensus The Court of Four is however bound by one law, they cannot make decisions representing the court unless all four members agree to the decision. For example, in imperial meetings, the Red Island is given one vote controlled by four representatives (the court,) their vote cannot be used unless all four members agree to use it. Though one would expect this system to result in a slow and laborious process of decision making, it actually tends to function quickly as the court tend to have a long time to get to know each other. They often understand each other so well that they can function as one being represented by four sides. The Other Nobles Only the city of Cachisag and the kingdom of the Island itself are controlled by the Court of Four. The other cities are controlled by genasi noble families that operate under the court as feudal vassals. There are two main rules that the vassals are bound to: "No vassal may make war against other members of the realm of Red Island or the Imperial Crown," and "no non high royal family may hold a standing army, the matters of the military are to be entirely left to the Court of Four." These rules create situations in which two vassals claiming the same land must both agree to appear before the Court of Four in order to resolve the conflict. For the most part, these rules are honored, but there are a few workarounds that have been acknowledged by ignorance by the court. First, while the vassals cannot make war, they can commit violence. This means that political assassinations, espionage, and sabotage through small groups of mercenaries are not uncommon between two feuding houses. Second, though a standing army cannot be formed, mercenaries on temporary contracts can be utilized. Defense of one's properties against the wilds often consists of rallying enough coin to pay off mercenaries if a dangerous beast draws near. Religion Religion in the Red Island is peculiar in that it is almost non-spiritual. Reverence of the Court of Four is seen as a necessary structure in order for society to function. Most people view this reverence as almost optional. They see it as something that has to be presented in order to gain respect and find one's place on the social ladder. That said, the staple belief of the Red Island is that Turoon blessed the four with his power and now they are effectively gods among men. Those who truly believe in this doctrine see things in a legalistic view. They believe that happiness is to simply work hard and serve those above you. They think that they will achieve enlightenment by consigning themselves to a life of hard work. Many view the state religion as fruitless, and as such localized religions and forms of spirituality are common. Often a local group will adopt the teachings of the Court of Four and apply new principles to them. However, the simple beliefs of the court are often taught as heresy by local religions. These new forms of belief are seen as cults by the government, and often stomped out the instant they start openly worshiping. The Elemental Birthsigns The Elemental Birthsigns are one of the only state-approved ways of achieving spirituality. They are a simple and common belief found in all levels of society. Their beliefs are as follows: All genasi are born under a birthsign. These signs are not chosen by the individual, they are decided by time of birth. The birthsign does not have to correlate to the type of genasi born, but it notably does dictate some of their personality. Air Air is the birthsign of quick-thinking and logic. Those born under the sign of Air tend to be fast, capricious, and occasionally aloof. Those born under Air are more likely to view others as below them. In general, Air-born vale goals over people, and sometimes air-born will retreat into hermitage while seeking greater knowledge. Fire Fire is the birthsign of power, passion, and destruction. Those born under the sign of fire tend to be aggressive, in-the-moment, and to some extent shortsighted. Fire is about taking what you have now, and living in the moment. Fire-born also value goals over people. They work harder than anyone to achieve their goals, and they generally don't have any problem stepping on people to get there. Earth Earth is the birthsign of creation and commitment. Those born under the sign of earth tend to be wise, chivalric, unflinching and occasionally stubborn. Earth is the sign of those who commit hard to a job, organization, or person and eventually become the most important person in that situation. They are good at maintaining and achieving their goals, but prefer to value people instead. Earth-aligned genasi view friendship as an important commitment, and will always go the extra mile to keep those friends. Water Water is the birthsign of meditation, mindfulness, and nihilism. Those born under the sign of water tend to be aware, intelligent, and occasionally defeatist. Water is the sign of those who spend their days making connections, learning, and making no money. They are mildly prone to change, so they never make good workers. However, their commitment to people is never in question, the water aligned genasi will always choose people over goals. They see people as on of their keys to happiness. Urtunada and the Power of the Jungle In the small jungle town of Urtunada, there is a firbolg population who believe devoutly against the state religion. They view the Court of Four as having contained abstract natural powers into their four concrete elements. They also believe the genasi, and by extension, Turoon, were evil colonists from a far away land. Their beliefs are orally told, and held in the minds of a few ancient firbolgs who lived before Turoon. They are known as the "Seers of the Jungle" The firbolgs are viewed by the rest of the empire as old and out of fashion people who a re no real threat to the Court of Four. The firbolgs have usually been nonviolent, but there is an active movement among the more radical firbolgs to cull the genasi and human settlers in a mass attack on civilization. Another commonly told belief is that genasi-driven greed and resource exploitation led to a mass rising of ancient evils from below the ground, and the aftermath of that battle is Siri Zamani, the great wasteland. Characters The Court of Four Wooden-Pipe, the Mountain of Smog Wooden-Pipe, the Mountain of Smog, abbreviated as Wooden-Pipe, is the Earth Genasi member of the Court of Four. He is known as a powerful priest, and a stalwart believer in the doctrine of the court. He is said to have invented the practice of using violence to win the lantern, slaying multiple family members en-route to earning his current position. As such, his family is very small and close knit. He is the head of the family, and a fearsome warrior. His family weapon, a mace known as "The Mountain's Fist," is imbued with magic older than Turoon. Sturdy-Sky, the Tornado of the Wasteland Sturdy-Sky, the Tornado of the Wasteland, abbreviated as Sturdy-Sky, is the Air Genasi member of the Court of Four. She is a barbarian of immense strength who uses deadly poisons hand crafted for her opponents. She is a stalwart of her family, who hail from the barren wastelands of Siri Zamani, where they made their money as monster hunters. Her family is wide and disconnected, often preferring to hide their heritage for the sake of privacy. They prefer to live nomadic lifestyles, hunting the greatest beasts around. Autumn-Brand, the Quick Wit of Zellules Autumn-Brand, the Quick Wit of Zellules, abbreviated as Autumn-Brand, is the Fire Genasi member of the Court of Four. He is regarded as one of the most intelligent mortals to ever bless the isles. He is not much of a fighter, but makes up for it in his ability to manipulate, charm, and buy his way through problems. His family are prominent guild leaders in Zellules, and he has always been the most cunning and intelligent of his family. Gale-Basin, the Survivor of Collapse Gale-Basin, the Survivor of Collapse, abbreviated as Gale-Basin, is the Water Genasi member of the Court of Four. She is immensely wise, and dedicated her life to learning to live with nothing after her family passed. She is known to be impervious to diseases, poisons, and other ailments that affect normal people. She is also known as "The Waterfall of Cleanliness." Her entire family was struck down by a great plague. It even took her predecessor, she was the only one to survive, now she is known as "the Survivor of Collapse." The Seers of the Jungle Hunter Thoughtseeker Hunter Thoughtseeker is thought to be the most ancient and wise of the Seers of the Jungle. He is dwarflike, but with wild, white vines for hair. He is a powerful warrior, but always chooses the route of nonviolence. He teaches the old stories of pre-Turoon times in Urtunada. Thelen Thelen is an ancient firbolg druid who resides deep in the jungle. Not much is known about her, aside from that she appears to ward off travelers as a great elk. It is said that those who hunt the creatures of her jungle are cursed to become them. Her current location is unknown, but it is said she keeps the creatures of the underdark at bay while the other seers focus on the surface world. Erro Firbranch Erro Firbranch is the most radical of the Seers of the Jungle. He is known as the "One Who Seers with Blood." His crossbow is said to be able to fire any distance with pinpoint accuracy. That said, he does not have many loyal firbolg followers, but he is rapidly gaining ground in popularity. He lives in the town of Zekalzu, where he campaigns for his radical beliefs. Melen the Prophet Melen is a seer with a strange set of beliefs. The firbolg populace sees him as insane for his teachings, which comprise of: believing the western wasteland was created by massive monsters awakened by the colonization of the island, believing Turoon was not only a colonist, but an ancient emperor who was exiled for his tyranny, and that the genasi were created in labs by the elves to control the winds of nature. He currently preaches his strange gospel in the town of Asweyhat.